Any way to get rid of Steam, post-purchase?

[Sill]

I'm interested in buying a game. I see I can pick it up from the publisher for a lot of money, or buy it on Steam for a little. The only trouble is I see that Steam requires an account, a client install, and an active internet connection, none of this appeals to me. I've gotten differing responses from people regarding this: some say that anything purchased there requires a full-time internet connection for some reason, and others say its only needed the first time the game launches so the DRM can do its thing, after which I can go into offline mode forevermore.

To the folks who have experience with this company can you tell me which explanation is correct? Also, is there a way to do the validation and whatever updates and then get rid of the Steam software?

 

[Huntn]

• For Steam, you do need a Steam account (free).
• You do need to be online to download a game (duh).
• You can play in offline mode.
• To buy from Steam you are agreeing to their DRM, so getting rid of Steam, I've not tried it but my guess is your game won't work without it installed. However there might be a way to hack around that, but I can't give you advice on this.

However, I'll add that for any game purchase you should check around: Epic, but more importantly Gog.com that the latter sells DRM free games, no strings.

Steam Support :: Offline Mode

help.steampowered.com

GOG.com

Download the best classic and new games on Windows, Mac & Linux. A vast selection of titles, DRM-free, with free goodies and 30-day money-back guarantee.

www.gog.com

 

[salamanderjuice]

It depends on the game. Some Steam games have always online DRM (usually just multiplayer titles but a handful of singleplayer titles do too), some have DRM that works in offline mode and some have no DRM at all. For the titles that have no DRM at all Steam is basically just used as a downloader and you can keep the game files and chuck Steam.

Here is a list of DRM free Steam games:

List of DRM-free games on Steam - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

www.pcgamingwiki.com

Games that have DRM can vary depending on what DRM they have. Often they can be played in offline mode forever but you will have to do the first run of every install online.

 

[Puonti]

Any way to get rid of Steam, post-purchase?

Addressing the title of the thread - I believe Steam games are installed and launched via the Steam client (even if you create a shortcut for the game), so you can't remove the Steam client afterwards if you still want to play the game.

 

[diamond.g]

Is the game DRM-free if purchased from the publisher? Seems like that would be better than going the Steam route (even if you had to pay more).

 

[salamanderjuice]

Addressing the title of the thread - I believe Steam games are installed and launched via the Steam client (even if you create a shortcut for the game), so you can't remove the Steam client afterwards if you still want to play the game.

You can launch games without going through the Steam client directly with a shortcut. And if the game is DRM free you can keep the game files and remove Steam entirely.

 

[Puonti]

You can launch games without going through the Steam client directly with a shortcut. And if the game is DRM free you can keep the game files and remove Steam entirely.

Do you remember when the Steam client requirement was removed?

 

[maflynn]

m interested in buying a game. I see I can pick it up from the publisher for a lot of money, or buy it on Steam for a little. The only trouble is I see that Steam requires an account, a client install, and an active internet connection

I guess it boils down to how much is your privacy worth? If you really don't want a steam account and/or the client then your best bet is to buy the game via publisher site.

 

[Sill]

• For Steam, you do need a Steam account (free).
• You do need to be online to download a game (duh).
• You can play in offline mode.
• To buy from Steam you are agreeing to their DRM, so getting rid of Steam, I've not tried it but my guess is your game won't work without it installed. However there might be a way to hack around that, but I can't give you advice on this.

However, I'll add that for any game purchase you should check around: Epic, but more importantly Gog.com that the latter sells DRM free games, no strings.

Thanks for the advice. Twenty years ago I used to join everything that was Mac-related to show support and also "just in case", so I've had a Gog membership ever since they started. I've never used it, and I think the only time I went to their site before this quest was to turn off the weekly emails that hounded me to try their games. I just went back and checked and they don't carry the game I'm looking for.

 

[Sill]

Is the game DRM-free if purchased from the publisher? Seems like that would be better than going the Steam route (even if you had to pay more).

I haven't been able to nail down a correct answer on that question either. I checked the publisher's page for the game on the Mac app store and there's no mention of it, but some of the people in the game reviews mention their anger at having to have Steam installed to play the game.

 

[Sill]

It depends on the game. Some Steam games have always online DRM (usually just multiplayer titles but a handful of singleplayer titles do too), some have DRM that works in offline mode and some have no DRM at all. For the titles that have no DRM at all Steam is basically just used as a downloader and you can keep the game files and chuck Steam.

Here is a list of DRM free Steam games:

List of DRM-free games on Steam - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

www.pcgamingwiki.com

Games that have DRM can vary depending on what DRM they have. Often they can be played in offline mode forever but you will have to do the first run of every install online.

The game isn't in the DRM-free list, unfortunately. I've also contacted Steam - believe it or not I found a "side door" to getting to tech support without a membership - and gotten two contradictory answers from their people regarding this game. One person said I'd have to have a net connection and an active account online because the game is actually played through their servers. Another person told me about the offline mode and said once the game was installed, updated, and validated, there was no need for a connection.

You can launch games without going through the Steam client directly with a shortcut. And if the game is DRM free you can keep the game files and remove Steam entirely.

That would be great.

 

[Sill]

I guess it boils down to how much is your privacy worth? If you really don't want a steam account and/or the client then your best bet is to buy the game via publisher site.

Yeah thats a whole other topic there. You know my position on how people should pay better attention to what kind of doors they open with all their online activity. Besides Steam's vulnerabilities - which they usually only fix when they're publicly shamed into doing so - there's that whole question of "how can they sell the game for an 80 percent discount off the direct-from-publisher price, include all the DLC for another five or ten bucks, and then take on the massive expense of hosting multiplayer games, forums, chats, etc, and still turn a profit?"

 

[kpluck]

I don't believe you have to give any personally identifiable information when setting up a Steam account. And, you can use gift cards bought with cash for purchases (either Steam GC or any major CC company gift cards). I believe you can access Steam through a VPN. Of course, this doesn't get around the client install.

-kp

 

[Sill]

I don't believe you have to give any personally identifiable information when setting up a Steam account. And, you can use gift cards bought with cash for purchases (either Steam GC or any major CC company gift cards). I believe you can access Steam through a VPN. Of course, this doesn't get around the client install.

Thats the plan, as long as I can get rid of the client afterwards.

 

[orionquest]

Instead of trying to jump through hoops just buy it elsewhere.

If you use a mobile phone or anything google related, or just your browser, you are already leaking data like a sieve, adding a Steam client isn't going to minimize your personal data tracking to any great extent.

 

[Sill]

Instead of trying to jump through hoops just buy it elsewhere.

If you use a mobile phone or anything google related, or just your browser, you are already leaking data like a sieve, adding a Steam client isn't going to minimize your personal data tracking to any great extent.

None of this has any bearing on my original question.

 

[maflynn]

None of this has any bearing on my original question.

It more or less does. Either you jump through hoops and with the hope it will work, and quite possibly spend way too much time doing so, or you buy the game from the vendor and enjoy it now.

What is the price difference? What game?

 

[orionquest]

It more or less does. Either you jump through hoops and with the hope it will work, and quite possibly spend way too much time doing so, or you buy the game from the vendor and enjoy it now.

What is the price difference? What game?

Exactly, people like this are clueless to themselves.

 

[Sill]

Exactly, people like this are clueless to themselves.

I'm clueless, so explain yourself: people like what?

 

[Sill]

It more or less does. Either you jump through hoops and with the hope it will work, and quite possibly spend way too much time doing so, or you buy the game from the vendor and enjoy it now.

What I'm spending too much time on is fielding questions from people who want to combat me on my concerns. My questions were simple and take very little time to consider.

What is the price difference? What game?

It doesn't matter now. Apparently the game was on sale that ended and the price now matches the publisher store price. That makes the entire decision easier - I'll just avoid the purchase.

 

[Huntn]

It depends on the game. Some Steam games have always online DRM (usually just multiplayer titles but a handful of singleplayer titles do too), some have DRM that works in offline mode and some have no DRM at all. For the titles that have no DRM at all Steam is basically just used as a downloader and you can keep the game files and chuck Steam.

Here is a list of DRM free Steam games:

List of DRM-free games on Steam - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

www.pcgamingwiki.com

Games that have DRM can vary depending on what DRM they have. Often they can be played in offline mode forever but you will have to do the first run of every install online.

This is great info. I always though you were tethered to Steam. However the advantage of Steam, with games that you downloaded, Steam makes it easy to manage these games as time goes by, they are always there for a reinstall, and Steam is free to utilize.

 

[Huntn]

What I'm spending too much time on is fielding questions from people who want to combat me on my concerns. My questions were simple and take very little time to consider.



It doesn't matter now. Apparently the game was on sale that ended and the price now matches the publisher store price. That makes the entire decision easier - I'll just avoid the purchase.

I’ve never found Steam to be onerous, but a convenience. If you are worried about privacy, establish an alt email, and create an account. Make no friends or make your home page private. The ability to re-download games, verify games, and stay in touch with a large group of fellow gamers is win win, at least for myself, and this is not an attempt on my part to tell you how to acquire games .

 

[mjoecups]

I agree with Huntn. Steam is no big deal. I don't feel they are in any way infringing my privacy or even mining my info unlike SO MANY others.

The only down side to running steam is storage I suppose... Anyhow it's worth it IMO and spending a lot of time and effort to avoid it seems insane.

 

[maflynn]

I agree with Huntn. Steam is no big deal.

Ditto, and in many ways it makes like so much easier. Cloud game saves, one spot to download and install your games

 

[Huntn]

Ditto, and in many ways it makes like so much easier. Cloud game saves, one spot to download and install your games

Even though I’m not really active online like I used to be, I like that when I log into Steam, and can see a list of online friends and what they are currently playing.